In a move that’s turning heads in the world of sports and crypto, Polymarket has signed a multi-year deal with Major League Soccer (MLS) to become the league’s exclusive prediction market partner.
The partnership also covers the Leagues Cup, MLS’s premier tournament, opening doors to entirely new ways for fans to engage with the sport.
Bringing Fans Closer to the Action
According to Polymarket’s founder and CEO Shayne Coplan, the deal is about giving fans more than just the standard game-day experience.
“As soccer’s audience continues to grow and evolve in the US, fans are looking for new ways to engage more deeply with the game,” Coplan said.
The plan is to bring second-screen experiences to life — from real-time statistics to interactive predictions — so supporters can follow matches and season storylines in a highly immersive, data-driven way.
Timing Is Everything
The partnership comes at a particularly exciting time for soccer in North America.
With the FIFA World Cup scheduled to take place later this year across the US and Mexico, both MLS and Polymarket see an unprecedented opportunity to capture growing fan interest.
The deal aims to surface real-time collective sentiment, allowing fans to see what others think will happen at key moments and engage more deeply with every match.
Protecting the Integrity of the Game
While prediction markets can be fun and engaging, both parties stress that safeguards will be in place to maintain the integrity of matches.
Independent monitoring of trading activities is part of the agreement, ensuring that betting and predictions don’t compromise MLS or Leagues Cup results.
Prediction Markets Surge Amid Legal Uncertainty
This partnership is also part of a broader trend: prediction markets are booming.
Polymarket and competitors like Kalshi have been seeing record trading volumes, even as some US states attempt to curb their growth.
For example, Kalshi reported a record $2.15 billion in weekly trading starting Jan. 12, while Polymarket saw nearly $825 million in trades during the same period.
Regulatory Hurdles Continue
The booming popularity of prediction markets hasn’t gone unnoticed by regulators.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has issued “no-action letters” to certain crypto exchanges, signaling they won’t intervene, but states like Nevada, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Massachusetts have challenged platforms like Kalshi over unlicensed sports betting claims.
Market operators argue that the CFTC has exclusive authority over these platforms, setting the stage for ongoing legal battles.
A New Era of Fan Engagement
With Polymarket stepping into the soccer spotlight, MLS fans can expect a more interactive and engaging viewing experience.
]From predictive insights to data-driven discussions, this partnership could redefine how supporters interact with the sport — giving them a voice in the narrative and a stake in every thrilling moment on the pitch.
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